The Age of Weaving
The Age of Weaving (2000-1850 YE) stands as the gilded meridian of Umbral’s doomed trajectory. Following the sturdy, yet cautious foundation of the Deepstone Era, this period marked the dwarf’s collective turn away from simple excavation and toward the true, intoxicating mastery of raw energy. It was an age of fervent intellectual expansion, defined by the systematic understanding and channeling of Auric Resonance through nascent theoretical models, detailed in lost texts concerning Loom Techniques. The atmosphere was one of reckless optimism; the deep earth was no longer merely a dwelling, but an instrument to be played, a reflection distorted by newfound power. The pervasive mindset was that of inevitable success.
The central technological breakthrough was the application of Resonance Weaving. While initially crude, artisans in the burgeoning Lost City of Umbral quickly refined methods to shape stone and metal not by force, but by precise harmonic frequency. This led to the widespread construction of the first functional, large-scale Aetherium Conduits, networks designed to draw immense power from the mountain’s heart. These advancements cemented Umbral's place as the undisputed capital of the dwarven world, a shining beacon of progress that attracted talent—and ambition—from every clan. It was during the latter half of this age that the young, brilliant Architect Vorlag first rose to prominence, his early designs for sky-bound architecture reflecting the era’s boundless aspirations.
Yet, this mastery was a double-edged reflection. The pride of this Age blinded them to the ethical consequences that would lead to the Great Sundering. The traditionalists, though marginalized, began their quiet descent into isolation, seeing their beloved Silent Forges fall silent—a time recorded within the period I term the Silence of the Forges. This entire era, though relatively brief (150 years), is often broken into five critical segments by the scholars of the Dwarven Abbey: the initial Epoch of Harmonic Discovery, the experimental Years of the Resonance Spire, the societal shift known as the Glimmering Transition, the aforementioned Silence of the Forges, and the final, ominous Vorlag Ascent. The true scholars of this time, the predecessors to the Crimson Cartographers, who mapped the energetic flows, were the Resonance Cartographers, whose work ironically charted the path to Umbral's destruction. In seeking perfection, they engineered their own future tragedy.